Oceans of Oceans
by InSilva
Summary: Surreal beyond words. I deny all responsibility. Complete.
1. Chapter 1 Goo Goo G'joob

Oceans of Oceans by InSilva

Dedication: Here's to the good, the bad and the ugly – they are all somebody's child.

Disclaimer: Rusty and Danny aren't mine. Any of them.

A/N: Thanks to the Beatles for the chapter title and the line.

Chapter One: Goo goo g'joob

Before he could turn the key in the lock, the door to the hotel room opened and that's when the world started to make complete fish for Danny.

Leaning against the door frame was Rusty. Rusty, whom he had just dropped off at the airport; Rusty, who was supposed to be on his way to Seattle; Rusty, who, unless he had a twin brother that neither of them knew about, was most definitely stood in front of him.

Rusty's face was tight and unsmiling and there was the slightest of tics in his left eyelid which Danny had only ever seen once before. And since that occasion was two days ago when Rusty had had a gun trained on him, Danny's senses were instantly on high alert.

Still, before anything, he had to get over the logistical impossibility.

"Didn't I just-"

"You did."

"Weren't you-"

"I was."

"Then, how-"

"Just come in the room."

_Is it…? _Danny's eyes flicked beyond Rusty and back again.

"It's not what you think. In fact," Rusty confessed, "I don't know what to think."

Cautiously, Danny stepped in the room and Rusty closed the door behind him.

There were four men. Two sat in chairs by the window, dressed in sharp suits and wearing sunglasses: the other two were casually dressed, lounging on the edge of one of the beds, one in a black turtleneck and the other in a shiny shirt that Danny could have sworn belonged to Rusty: _mind you, _he thought absent-mindedly, _any shiny shirt has the potential to belong to Rusty. _

What made Danny's scalp crawl, however, were the inhabitants of the clothes.

He looked at Rusty.

"I see them too," Rusty said levelly.

The impossible man by the window spoke.

"To avoid confusion," he said slowly and Danny almost snorted, "I am Mr Ocean and this is Mr Ryan."

The other impossible man raised a lazy hand.

"My name's Rus," the man in the shiny shirt volunteered, "and this is Daniel." And then, as if trying to be helpful and as if stating the obvious would clear up anything, he added, "you're us. Or, if you like, we're you."

_I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together…_Danny thought. He must have swayed slightly because Rusty's arm was there immediately.

"I realise this is confusing," Mr Ocean continued. "You may want to take a seat."

_Forget the seat, where's the-_

Rusty pressed a large whisky into his hand and pushed Danny forward towards the couch. They sat down together. Heavily.

"Back in 2001," Mr Ocean began, "there was a successful film detailing the exploits of a con man and his crew and a heist they pull in Vegas."

"It was called Ocean's Eleven."

"Thank you, Daniel," said Mr Ocean as sternly as Saul would have done. "Let me tell the story."

"I was just…"

Mr Ocean took off his sunglasses, placed them on the table and gave Daniel a hard look. Daniel closed his mouth. Rus reached over and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

Danny risked a sideways glance at Rusty who gave the slightest of nods. No doubting who was the boss here.

"The film, as I said, was successful. Two sequels followed. More importantly and please pay attention here-"

"Oh, I am all ears," Danny muttered, taking a long sip of whisky and hoping it would help.

Mr Ocean ignored him. "A fandom sprang up. Are you familiar with that term?"

Rusty and Danny waggled their heads noncommittally.

"Fandom equals fan fiction. The good, the bad and the ugly."

"The ugly," Mr Ryan repeated, pocketing his shades and shuddering.

"Stories that take the original characters from the film and put them in a variety of situations," Mr Ocean elaborated. "Some of these are well-written, keeping the characters true to the way they are portrayed in the movie. Others are, shall we say, improbable. Others still are…"

He tailed off leaving Danny and Rusty to fill in the gap.

"The point is," he went on after a moment, "once the stories are typed, those versions of the characters are created. They live. And they live that story over and over again."

"Like 'Groundhog Day'," Rus contributed and beamed when he got a nod of approval from Mr Ocean.

"These versions are imbued with the intelligence of their creators as well as the characteristics assigned them. Some versions are strong, stylish, intelligent…the epitome of cool."

_You think…_

_Well, Rusty, _they_ certainly do…_

"Others focus on…" Mr Ocean paused and looked over to the bed. "Well, perhaps you two could explain."

Daniel looked sulky. Rus patted his arm encouragingly.

"Other versions," Daniel said, scowling at Mr Ocean, "are more in touch with their feelings."

"And their feelings for each other," Rus elaborated. Danny and Rusty both noted that he still had his hand on Daniel's arm.

_You think…_

_Oh, yes…_

There was a silence.

"So," Danny said to break it. "You're saying what exactly. That we are all figments of someone's imagination."

Mr Ocean nodded.

"But…I remember the Benedict Job," Rusty protested. "I remember Danny coming to find me at that Hollywood poker game, I remember the pitch to Reuben, I remember walking out of the casino with bags of cash. If I'm a figment, then how can I?"

"Don't you see? We all remember," Mr Ryan said. "We all remember going to see Yen at the circus, speaking to Charmaine-"

"Playing doctor to Saul," Rus added, "standing in front of the fountain…"

"Or in our case, sitting in front of the parole board," Mr Ocean said to Danny, "tracking Linus down in Chicago…"

"Kissing Tess goodbye," Daniel said dreamily.

"We share these memories," Mr Ocean went on, shooting a disapproving look at Daniel, "because we've been written into stories that take place after the Benedict Job."

Danny and Rusty looked at each other.

"Supposing," Danny said slowly, "just supposing this is all true. What are you doing here? Or is this one of those ugly stories? Is this going to turn into some sort of clone orgy?"

Mr Ryan and Mr Ocean grimaced. Rus's mouth formed a wide "O" and Daniel looked thoughtful.

"Nothing so hideous," Mr Ryan assured him. "There's been a slight incident."

"We're not sure how it happened exactly-" Mr Ocean began.

"He isn't all that clear," Rus said, "not that that's really his fault."

"Whose fault?" Danny asked.

"It seems that somehow, some way, there has been a blurring of lines," Mr Ocean went on. "Boundaries have been crossed. We're all proof of that."

"What boundaries?" Rusty wanted to know.

Mr Ocean looked at Rus and Mr Ryan and then with a sigh at Daniel who seemed to be lost in a daydream.

"The original script has been compromised. A character has gone missing. As a result, a degree of fluidity has been introduced to the world of fan fiction. Stories are colliding. Hence…"

He gestured round the room.

"The thing is," he continued, "we need to fix it. If we don't, the ripple of instability will just carry on going and who knows what will happen."

"Luckily, Mr Ocean and myself were among the first to realise what was going on," Mr Ryan said with a hint of smugness. "We decided to address the situation, left our story and set out to find help from our other selves."

Danny glanced over at Rus and Daniel.

"And they found you guys?"

"Well, not straightaway," Rus said. "They paddled through some Benedict/Rusty, Benedict/Danny and Benedict/Rusty/Danny first."

Nobody said anything. Danny turned his head to Rusty who had a blank expression.

_Did he just say…?_

_Yes._

_Is that what I think it is?_

_Yes. Now be quiet, I'm trying to bleach my mind._

Mr Ocean was looking a little sickly.

"It's not a good memory," he confided.

"I never want to see that golf putter again," Mr Ryan muttered.

"Anyway, we found Rus and Daniel and eventually managed to convince them they were not going insane," Mr Ocean said.

"Are there any others?" Danny looked around, half-expecting another dozen Dannys and Rustys to appear.

"Er, no, actually," said Mr Ocean shortly.

"Not everyone was so willing to believe as Rus and Daniel," Mr Ryan added. "In fact, not many have sat for as long as you two have while we explained everything."

"Remember the Danny at that rodeo," Daniel smiled.

"Oh, yes, lovely muscles," Rus agreed.

"You didn't even get as far as introducing us all before he threw the first punch," Daniel remembered fondly. "It broke your sunglasses."

"Yes, well, some versions are written with a bit more of a temper and a bit more physicality than others," Mr Ocean said hurriedly. "I'm a talker not a fighter."

He turned to Danny and Rusty.

"Look, we don't have a lot of time. We need your help if we're going to put this right. Are you in?"

"We…need a moment," Danny said. "We'll just step outside, if that's OK with you gentlemen."

They closed the door on the madness and stood in the corridor.

"This is-" Danny began.

"Completely," Rusty agreed.

"Are we hallucinating? Are we on drugs?"

Rusty considered. "Not that I can remember."

"Those two are so…and those other two are so…"

Rusty nodded. He couldn't have put it better himself.

"Do you believe them?"

"I don't want to. But they know things, Danny…how do they know those things?"

Danny had no answer. He thought of something that had been nagging at him.

"What happened at the airport?"

Rusty unexpectedly coloured.

"What do you mean?"

"I meant what happened at the airport," Danny repeated wonderingly, "but now I want to know what happened at the airport."

"Oh, well," Rusty said hurriedly. "Nothing much. Daniel showed up and I thought it was you obviously."

"Obviously."

"And he, er, he…" Rusty uncharacteristically floundered.

Danny looked at him incredulously. "He didn't?"

"He did."

Danny's eyes grew wider. "Tell me you didn't."

"I didn't know," Rusty defended himself. "I thought it was you and I thought you must have a reason…"

He looked away and then recovered his composure.

"Anyway, then Mr Ocean turned up with Mr Ryan and Rus and before I could call for a straightjacket, Mr Ocean shouted something out into a phone and snap! We were back in the hotel room waiting for you."

They both looked at the door.

"So," Danny said heavily. "What are our choices? Ignore them?"

"Or join them. And what if they're telling the truth, Danny?"

"Then we've got nothing to lose."

"And that's how we always play the game."

_OK…_

They opened the door and Danny half-expected, half-hoped that their doubles would be gone. They weren't.

"We're in," he said matter-of-factly and was rewarded with a grin from Messrs Ocean and Ryan, a broad smile from Daniel and little claps of joy from Rus.

"So what's first?" Rusty asked.

"First, we share our one piece of good luck with you," Mr Ocean said. "Remember I said a character had gone missing?"

They both nodded.

"We found him. Hiding in a piece of hurt/comfort, licking his wounds. You can come out now," he called.

The bathroom door clicked open.

"About time. I nearly fell asleep in there."

Petulant, he stomped into the centre of the room. It was Linus.

A/N: OK, I know it's craziness but is it good craziness? Please tell me!


	2. Chapter 2 Where it all went wrong

Oceans of Oceans by InSilva

Chapter Two: Where it all went wrong…

Disclaimer: lest there be any confusion, none of these characters are mine.

He was dressed in the kind of casual, preppy clothes that Danny remembered him wearing when they first met. His hair was a little dishevelled and he seemed completely fed up.

"Linus is the character that went missing?" Danny frowned. "How did that happen?"

"Stupidity," said Mr Ocean succinctly.

"Hey!" Linus objected.

"Well, it was," Mr Ryan went on. "Do you want to tell them or shall we?"

"I...oh…I feel like I've told this so many times," Linus sighed. He looked glumly around at the men surrounding him and then over at Danny and Rusty, just inside the doorway. He slumped on the couch and Danny and Rusty moved forward till they were either side of him, perched on the arms. Danny put the half-drunk glass of whisky down on the table, ready to listen.

"You remember when we all met up at Reuben's and how no one was committed to anything yet and how we could leave if we wanted to."

He looked down at the carpet and scuffed his shoe a little. "Well, I left."

"You turned us down?" Rusty said disbelievingly.

"You left?" Danny said slowly.

"He left," Mr Ocean confirmed.

"But the job wouldn't have worked without Linus," Danny said. "So how does that play?"

"You see," Rus smiled at Linus. "They think the world of you. We all do."

Linus looked a little comforted.

"The story changed so the job changed," Mr Ryan said in answer to Danny's point.

Rusty was rubbing his mouth. "If Linus left, surely all we need to do is make sure he enters the story again at that point. Wouldn't that put things right?"

"Weren't you listening?" Mr Ryan rolled his eyes. "The story changed."

Rusty shot Danny a glance. _He may be me, but I don't have to like him._

"You are right, Rusty," Daniel said, frowning at Mr Ryan. "Putting Linus back is what we have to do. Long-term, anyway."

"What's short-term?" Danny asked.

"Dealing with what filled the hole left by Linus," Mr Ocean sighed. "You see, when the story was compromised, it found another way to continue. It hooked on to a piece of fan fiction, a story where Linus leaves and is replaced by his sister."

"A sister I don't have, by the way…"

"She's seventeen and she's called Aphrodite," Rus said helpfully. "Actually, Rusty has a bit of a crush on her."

"I do?" Rusty looked as if he were trying to remember the last time he'd fancied a seventeen-year-old.

"Oh yes," Rus beamed. "She has with long blonde hair the colour of the happiest sunshine and eyes bluer than the sky on a summer's day…"

"You sure?" Danny stared hard at Linus. "I mean from the same gene pool?"

"Hey!" Linus said again, looking suitably offended.

"She's smart and funny," Daniel went on, "she's better at picking pockets than Linus, she's better at disguises than Rusty, she's-"

"She's completely unlikely," Mr Ocean stated. "But she's in the story. _The_ story."

"OK…" Danny was thinking aloud. "You say everything's on a continual loop. Why not wait till it tracks round to where Linus leaves and reinsert him as Rusty suggested?"

"The story is on permanent hiatus…it's unfinished," Mr Ryan explained. "It loops from Aphrodite's arrival right up until the point where she's been invited to dine with Terry Benedict."

"He has a crush on her too," Rus added. "He dumped Tess because of her."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…he dumped Tess?"

"In a heartbeat, Danny," Rus nodded solemnly.

"What we need to do," Mr Ryan went on, "is continue the story to an end. Then it will start from the very beginning and Linus can slip back in. Is that clear?"

"As mud," Rusty agreed.

"I've got an idea," Danny said. "But we're going to need another Rusty. One that doesn't come with a Danny."

"Hmm…" Mr Ocean looked at Mr Ryan. "You think…?"

"There's got to be."

Danny looked at Rusty. _That's more annoying than you realise._

"OK," Mr Ocean decided. "I can take us to some angst we waded through before we found Rus and Daniel. There must be a spare Rusty there."

"Do we all go?" Danny looked round the room.

"Normally, I'd say no. But fic-hopping's not that precise. It might take a while to find everyone again and I don't think we have that time."

Mr Ocean produced a cell phone from his pocket.

"Straightforward enough," he said conversationally to Danny. "It's primed for voice recognition courtesy of my author. You say "control enter" to page break to the next scene within a story – that's what we did at the airport to Rusty - or "find story" and then a name if you know it. In this case…is everybody ready?"

They all nodded

"Find genre 'angst'," he said and the hotel bedroom melted away.

They emerged on an ill-lit corridor with rooms off. Mr Ocean and Mr Ryan walked confidently down it, Rus and Daniel following. Rusty and Danny brought up the rear, either side of Linus.

"What made you turn us down?" Danny asked.

Linus shrugged.

"Not sure. It was just a whim really. I was stood there watching all of you chatting like you'd known each other years and I just felt…like an outsider."

_I suppose we can be…_

_Yeah._

"See!" Linus exclaimed. "That's the sort of thing."

"What happened after you left the story?" Rusty wanted to know.

"I walked out of Reuben's house and found myself in a corridor like this. I wandered round a few rooms – a few stories - until those two picked me up."

"These rooms are stories?" Danny looked with interest at the doors.

"All of them."

Something stirred at the back of Danny's mind.

"Mr Ocean," he called ignoring how ridiculous that sounded, "hold up."

The four men in front of him stopped and turned round waiting for Danny to speak.

"I want to ask something that I should have asked a while ago and would have done if I hadn't been caught up with the general weirdness."

Danny looked Mr Ocean directly in the eye.

"How come you knew there was something wrong? How come you were able to be objective enough to leave your story to fix it?"

"Ooh, good questions!" Rus clapped.

"How about telling us the answers, before we go one step further?"

Mr Ocean held Danny's gaze and for a moment, it seemed that he wasn't going to respond. He flicked a glance round at the others which lingered for a second on Mr Ryan and then appeared to make his mind up.

"When I said that we came from a fic, I wasn't strictly telling the truth. We come from an early draft of the movie script. When it was all going to be quite hi-tech. Few more gadgets. A little less humour."

"Before they went for the eating thing," Mr Ryan gestured at Rusty. "Before the tattoo."

Rusty glanced down at his left hand. Unlike his own, there was no trace of ink.

"When Linus left, we were amongst the first to feel the aftershock. It shook us free."

"OK…so once this is all over, what happens to you? What happens to us?"

"I don't know," Mr Ocean confessed.

Danny looked at Rusty. _Now he tells us?_

"Now you tell us?" Daniel sounded outraged.

"You never thought to ask," Mr Ocean reminded him. "Look at it this way, either you'll be happily back in situ or you won't but if you hadn't come, your situ wouldn't have continued happily for long anyway. Understood?"

They all looked to be in agreement apart from Rus who was mouthing "situ" to himself.

Mr Ocean looked at a nearby door and gripped the door handle.

"No knowing what's inside so brace yourselves," he instructed.

The door opened onto a motel room. There was a bed with a bright orange coverlet as if someone had thought that would make it look cheery and a TV and that was it.

Curled up on top of the bed lay Rusty. _A Rusty, _Danny reminded himself and looked over at the Rusty he knew, suddenly protective and possessive of what was his.

The Rusty on the bed was sobbing gently, his fingers curled around a bow tie.

"I wasn't there for you," he wept. "And now it's too late to tell you everything you meant to me. The way you picked me up after Isabel's death, the way you looked after me…and now you're dead! Robert "Rusty" Ryan's life is over!"

Danny looked at Mr Ocean who looked at Daniel.

_Bingo._

A/N: Yes, Aphrodite is meant to be a Mary Sue. I've written a few Mary Sues in my time and she is named in homage to one of my own favourites wot I wrote called Pallas McAllister, "probably the most brilliant mind of her generation". (rolls eyes at self).


	3. Chapter 3 Hello, Mary Sue

Oceans of Oceans by InSilva

Disclaimer: I own no characters. Except maybe the letter "C".

Chapter Three: Hello, Mary Sue

There was shrieking and Danny felt that he should have anticipated that. Robert was obviously a sensitive man who had taken his partner's death very hard. Having that partner reappear not once, but three times in front of him, was going to have some effect.

Daniel and Rus came into their own at this point, sitting either side of him on the bed with the hideous bedspread, arms round his shoulders, muttering "there, there"s while he calmed down.

Mr Ryan and Mr Ocean were watching the scene only slightly less awkwardly than Linus. Rusty leaned up against a wall, arms folded, looking at Robert with something less than respect. Danny decided to call him on it.

"Do I take it this would not be your reaction were I to pass away?" he said _sotto voce. _

"It would not," Rusty growled. "There's grief and there's hysteria and then there's this."

"I'd cry for you," Danny assured him.

"Liar."

"I would," Danny protested. He considered for a moment. "Maybe not quite so…"

Rusty just looked at him.

Danny glanced over at the bed. "The noise seems to be dying down."

"Guess you're up."

Danny cleared his throat.

"Robert? I think I should call you that. I know that this is…beyond words. Mr Ocean and Mr Ryan here can tell you the details. The fact that Linus is here will give you a clue as to who is responsible."

Linus opened his mouth and closed it again. Mr Ocean quickly outlined what had happened.

"We have a plan to fix it but we need your help," Danny said. "And…it will mean change."

"Ch-ch-change?"

"Oh god, he's channelling Bowie," Rusty muttered to no one in particular.

Danny ignored him.

"Change, Robert. You won't be returning to this story."

Robert looked round the room.

"That's no hardship," he said eventually.

"In fact," Danny was careful not to look at Rusty while he said it, "you'll be writing a whole new story of your own."

_I may just throw up._

Danny ignored him. "OK. Mr Ocean, please take us to the story. Sorry, to _the _story."

Mr Ocean produced his phone. "Find "original source"."

The motel room disintegrated.

* * *

They appeared in the lounge of the Bellagio.

"Don't worry about being recognised," Mr Ocean said in a low voice. "We're just like extras unless we take an active part."

There was noise and there were people and then suddenly there was Benedict at the top of the stairs. Commanding and haughty, he looked over the room before heading down to the casino.

"And here she comes," Mr Ocean said quietly.

"Just the worst part of my day," Mr Ryan muttered.

In through the door walked a tall blonde that could only be Aphrodite.

"From what I can gather," Mr Ocean went on, "the plan was for Aphrodite to use her feminine wiles to persuade Benedict to get out of the casino business. Really not sure where it was going from there."

"Well, I know where it's going now," Danny said firmly. He caught sight of Rusty and did a double take. He was staring unblinking at Aphrodite.

"What is it?"

"I don't know why," he said through gritted teeth, "but I find her strangely attractive. Why do you suppose that is?"

Danny glanced at Rus, smiling broadly in Aphrodite's general direction, Mr Ryan who had his eyes resolutely locked on a beermat in his hand and Robert who was rapt.

"I guess if it's written that Rusty is in love with her, then that applies to any Rusty."

"Great," Rusty groaned and sat back in his chair. He shot Danny a suspicious look. "Tell me you didn't work that out already."

Danny tried but failed to look innocent and settled for reassurance.

"Look, this is going to be simple. Robert?"

* * *

"Aphrodite?"

"Rusty?"

"Please call me Robert."

"Robert…"

"Aphrodite…I want to leave this life of crime. I want to settle down. I want to be with you."

"Robert…"

"Aphrodite…"

Watching from the bar, Rusty leaned in to Danny. "Now I am definitely going to be sick."

"Patience." He looked at Mr Ocean. "Will it work?"

"It should."

"Please god," Linus crossed his fingers.

"Seconded," Rusty said with venom.

Rus was resting his chin on his hands, watching Robert's courtship of Aphrodite.

"It's so romantic," he sighed happily and Daniel patted his shoulder.

"They're leaving," Mr Ryan said suddenly.

"Together?" Mr Ocean asked.

"Yes."

"No, together?"

"Again, yes."

"He's done it," Danny said triumphantly. "So what happens next?"

"Rewind time," said Mr Ocean. "Hold on."

The Bellagio bar disappeared. It was replaced by the outside of Reuben's home.

"Linus, get ready," Danny instructed.

The door opened and a Linus appeared in the doorway. Before he could step outside, Linus walked through him back into the room, shutting the door behind him. The Linus who had tried to leave, vanished.

"Now what?" Danny asked.

"If it goes to plan, it's goodbye," Mr Ocean said.

"I hate goodbyes," Rus sounded upset.

"Always hard," Rusty agreed without conviction.

_Somewhere…_

"Smash and grab, huh?" Linus was saying.

"Slightly more complicated than that."

_Somewhere else…_

"Mr Ocean."

"Mr Ryan."

"Good to see you again."

"Likewise. We have so much to talk about," said Mr Ocean, holding the door to the bar open.

_Somewhere else still…_

"Rus, do you have to lick the chocolate off your fingers quite so loudly? It's very distracting. Plus I can't hear what she's saying."

Rus rolled across the bed and grabbed the remote control sending the volume up another notch. They couldn't miss Oprah.

The Seattle Job

Danny opened the door to the hotel room and sank on to the couch. After the excitement of the past couple of days with Barton and his men, he was glad that Rusty was safe and on his way to Seattle.

He looked over at the table by the window and saw a half-drunk glass of whisky he didn't remember pouring.

_Waste not, want not, _he thought and drank it.

A/N: And so the madness ends... :-)


End file.
